Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Urena impressive in new closer role
In his first look as the Marlins’ new closer, Jose Urena certainly looked the part.
Making his first save appearance since 2016, the right-hander pitched a perfect 10th inning to finish off Miami’s 5-4 comeback victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, snapping a 15-game road losing streak.
After spending the past two and a half seasons as a full-time starter, Tuesday night’s win provided a glimpse of Urena in a new closer role — and the immediate returns have been impressive for a team looking to stabilize the back-end of the bullpen. His performance was all the more impressive considering he’s spent the past three months on the injured list with a herniated disc.
Facing the Pirates’ top three hitters — Bryan Reynolds, Starling Marte and Josh Bell — Urena had no issues retiring the side. Heavily utilizing his two-seam fastball, he induced two groundouts and a game-ending flyout to left on 15 pitches. While he’s always relied on his fastball, he upped his usage against Pittsburgh. For the season, his sinker has accounted for 63.4 percent of his pitches, but on Tuesday he dialed it up 11 times (73.3%).
Throwing in a shorter stint, he naturally saw a spike in his velocity, jumping from a 95.7 mph average to 97.7 mph. Already ranking in the 87th percentile in fastball velocity among MLB pitchers, quicker appearances can make his two-seamer even more effective. Against Pittsburgh, Urena also mixed in three sliders and one change-up.
It was Urena’s second appearance since coming off the IL. On Sunday, he tossed a perfect eighth inning in Miami’s 9-3 loss to the Nationals.
A workhorse in the rotation for
the past three years, Urena’s move to the bullpen was more a byproduct of circumstance. After starting his last game on June 7, the right-hander didn’t have enough time to build his arm back up for starts with just a month left in the season. But in short stints, he was able to make his way back to the mound.
His return comes at the right time for a bullpen that’s struggled since trading Sergio Romo and Nick Anderson at the trade deadline. Romo provided a consistent back-end presence, going 17 for 18 on saves, while Anderson was a strong high-leverage reliever.
New trade acquisition Ryne Stanek, who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays for Anderson and Trevor Richards, has struggled in the closer role, blowing four saves in August.
With the worst record in the National League (49-88), the Marlins likely won’t have many save opportunities, but September can give the team a look at how they want to utilize Urena going forward. The right-hander has two more years of club control, so the team doesn’t have to make an immediate decision.
But with promising minor league arms such as Sixto Sanchez and Edward Cabrera, plus a thin bullpen, the Marlins may opt to keep Urena in that role full-time. With an aggressive pitching approach, Urena could prove to be the closer Miami needs. So while they’re won’t be much to play for in September, Urena’s performance will be something to keep an eye on.